Today is my writing meeting here at the Senior Community where I live. I am the facilitator, I give the homework, and guess what, I didn’t do my homework for today. So now I have to do last week’s homework and this week’s homework. I already started on next week’s homework..and I will be prepared. While in class, we wrote what I call a Shimmering Image story. (I didn’t make up the name Shimmering Image, someone else did) It’s part of a memoir piece that stands out vividly in our minds. Mine was about getting my foot operated on, and my son, who was six at that time, brought me home a gift. He had wrapped it in newspaper, and gave it to me while I sat in the living room, on a kind of lazy boy chair. He was so proud, but when I opened it, it comtained a smelly dead fish! I thanked him, and told him to go up and do his homework. As soon as he went up the stairs, I got my crutches and threw the foul smelling fish in the garbage disposal. Whew, what a smwll. I hoped it wouldn’t perfume the whole house. Now that was a shimmering image, how could I ever forget that day.

As for reading, we hav started a book club. Different in that we all would be reading our own choice of books, and bringing in a detailed synopsis to read to the group. We meet once a month, and our first meeting will be the 25th of February. Should be an interesting meeting. I was going to do the book I read a long time ago, Mitigated Circumstances by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, because I thought the book had much we could discuss. Instead, I just started reading In MY Hands, the story of Irena Gut, the lady who saved all those Jews in Poland. We have all heard about how she did that in stories of her and in movies, but this book starts at her very young age of fourteen. I am mesmerized by her ability to think and act the hero, without a thought to her own safety. She is my hero, and I would hope in a case of emergancy that I could react with the same king of courage. I salute her.

On a quite different tack, my four year old great granddaughter, was going to take a bath. She always dresses and undresses herself, this is one kids who doesn’t want any help, she can do it herself. Well, she couldn’t get her shirt off, so she said, “F…k it, I’m frustrated.” My granddaughter burst out laughing until she was crying and asked, “Why did you say that?” And her answer, so simple, “Well, when Daddy gets frustrated, that’s what he says. In fact he said it four times yesterday while he was trying to fix the lights on the kitchen ceiling.” Out of the mouths of babes, they see all and hear all.
I can’t top that.

The rest of my week is easy, Meditation, Mah Jongg and the knitting instructor. My sweater I’m knitting is in big trouble, and I need to hear what my knitting lady tells me. I have the back finished, the sleeves finished, and the front up to the armholes. The problem is I had to buy more yarn online, and although they said it was the same dye lot, it isn’t. And it shows. Could you send me some luck? I probably will ahve to scrap this whole sweater. Bummer.

Hope you all have a nice week planned. Talk to you soon.
Remember to keep love and kisses in your life.

In case you haven’t heard my husband has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease for the second time in twenty years. So far he is fine, and we take it one day at a time. At 82 and 83 we are fortunate to have each other. We are blessed with family around us and four great grandchildren, ages 4,3,2,and 1.
As you know that can keep us busy, and we love it, even though we tire easily.

I am still learning how to write, and still have my writing group in the Senior Community where we live. I also am a part of the book club, Meditation, and Maj Jongg groups. That keep my mind active and busy. Better than three doctor appointments in one week, which is also something that happens once in a while.

Howard is starting a new drug trial for Alzheimer’s Disease on March 11th. According to our instructions we will have to be there that day for seven hours. Will keep you updated on how that works out. I’m hoping if I bring my Ipad, I will have some time to read and or write. Or maybe not, the people at the drug trial might have other things in mind for both of us. Does anyone have an opinion on drug trials?

Our book club will work a little differently, since we will be reading our own choices of books, and then bringing in a significant synopsis of said book. We are meeting once a month, which gives everyone plenty of time to read the book of their choice. The reason we did this is because we are a diverse group with different ideas of which book to read. I also think this works since we won’t have to go to the library and have them order the amount of books we need, and then to go back to the library and bring back the books. It also introduces us to new books that we probably would never think of reading. Do you think this is a good idea?